Knitting

[Gwynn]

I just cast off the last square of my recovery blanket, that I've been knitting since being discharged from hospital. I don't quite know what to do with myself now, lol. Hopefully I'll get some more wool for Christmas.

[Judi9877]

Hi @Gwynn @utopia @BlueBay @Eve7 @Daisydreamer and all knitters here. Long time no posting for me- sorry!

@Gwynn  I'm glad you've done the last square on your recovery blanket that you started in hospital. Well done! Are you going to sew it up? I'd love to see a photo of it if you'd like to post a picture of it. I hope you treasure this blanket and all that it means for you as I'd believe it to be something special. Mental health recovery in hospital isn't easy and I'm so proud that you took up knitting and have found the benefits of it. I hope you continue with this wonderful hobby. Did you get some yarn for Christmas? I know Spotlight and Lincraft have been having sales on yarn over the past month so it may be worth a look. 

As for me, I've been experiencing a bit of a rough period with my mental health - I had to call my uni and speak to a counsellor- who advised me to do something each day for myself. That's when I decided to make myself a Wellness Blanket from a pattern off the Spotlight projects page called "Stallion 8ply patchwork blanket" on 4mm needles. It's 4 different patterns and you knit 20 squares and then sew them up with a border. I'm using a different yarn- Marvel 8ply from Spotlight instead of Stallion yarn which is also a Spotlight yarn- and I plan on making it bigger than the measurements of 65cm x 80cm. My initial goal is just to make the 20 squares and then see how I go from there. I've posted a picture of the 5 squares I've done since Friday night when I started this project. I hope you like it.

I'll post more as I do some more of the blanket. 

Have fun and enjoy your knitting projects and adventures forum friends!

Judi9877☺️🧶💐

[Gwynn]

@Judi9877, I'm in the process of crocheting my squares into long strips (and then I will start crocheting the long strips together into a blanket).  I got a huge haul of buttery soft woolen yarn for Christmas, and even some cashmere yarn that I'm going to have to find a very special project for.  I'm currently knitting another scarf, the same pattern as the first, for my support worker as she likes the colour of some of the yarn I got and she gave me a board game for Christmas.  A friend of my mum's asked me where she could find the scarf pattern because she thought it'd be nice to knit for her husband, so I gave the url to her.  I hope she has as much fun knitting hers as I've had knitting mine!  Thanks for the information about Lincraft and Spotlight having a sale - I'll have to have a think about whether I've got enough wool for now...

Wow, four different patterns, the squares look beautiful!  Best of luck as you go ahead and knit the rest and sew them into a blanket. 

[Former-Member]

Hello @Judi9877  I have had a look at your knitting and the squares are very nice, and love the great colours too.  I tried to knit some years ago but the stitches were 'too tight' I was told. I wouldn't have a clue how to begin. But I can see how relaxing it can be.

Thank you for liking my shell letter.  I too love collecting shells and walking on the beach, but to be honest it is becoming more than just picking up a pretty shell and taking it home. I feel compelled to go each day. I just need to find that 'one' but come back with so many. Then they all have to be washed, dried and sorted and re-sorted.  

But it keeps my mind distracted.  And I love giving them to others.

🌺

[Daisydreamer]

Hi @Judi9877 

The stitches you are using make such a lovely pattern! What is the stitch called?

Such a great wellbeing idea. I've always loved the flow I get into with knitting- something very relaxing about it. I havent knitted in a while now, but was really interested in knitting bears for the red cross foundation for the kids hospital. 

[Judi9877]

Hi @Daisydreamer @Gwynn @Former-Member @utopia @BlueBay @Shaz51 @outlander @Maggie and all knitters here.

Just popping into say I'm still knitting my Wellness Blanket- up to square 10 already!- and I'm really enjoying it. Things have been pretty rough lately and I'm finding that knitting is helping to give me some peace and sanity in amongst the chaos and challenges. It's like it's one of my best friends that I can rely on and I'm very grateful for that. Give me a pair of knitting needles and some yarn and I'm 1 happy camper, especially right now. 

On a funny side, this little thing popped up in my Facebook feed that I thought I might share. I hope no one is offended and if so, I deeply apologise in advance. For me, this is 1 tablet I need to take daily😂🥰!

@Daisydreamer , I'm sorry but I don't know what the stitch is I was knitting in the earlier post. I do know that it is a Spotlight free pattern called Stallion 8ply patchwork blanket and the stitches are simple knit and purl on 4mm knitting needles. If you look at the Spotlight page under projects, knitting and crochet, you should find it. I'm doing it using marvel 8ply yarn as I'm not too happy with stallion yarn so I'm using it as a test blanket to see how it turns out. There's 20 squares of 4 different patterns in total plus a border to make it 65cm x 80cm rectangle. I'll post more as I go along. I'd like to make it bigger - a large blanket- but I'm just focussing on 5 squares of 1 pattern at a time. At least I have small achievements along the way and things aren't son overwhelming for me to get unmotivated or discouraged by. That's a big enough achievement for me right now.

Talk later as knitting is calling my name🧶👋

Judi9877🌈🍀🧶😎

[Former-Member]

Love the picture @Judi9877  looks like the hands of a gardener though....Lol

looking forward to seeing the completed wellness blanket.  I hope you are feeling better today. It is hard enough to manage mental health as it is, but Covid and restrictions on top of that just makes it so much harder.  Just one stitch at a time, or in my case a shell. Take care 💐

[Judi9877]

Hi @Former-Member @Gwynn @Daisydreamer @utopia @BlueBay @Shaz51 

@Former-Member Thanks for the wonderful comments! I've just completed square 11 out of 20 which is below of my Patchwork Well-being Blanket. It's coming along really well but slowly. I went to Spotlight on Thursday to stock up on more yarn for the rest of the blanket as the yarn was on sale and I had a coupon to use. Also, I've just found out that I will be going into PARCS in the next month- I've got to move out of my current rental and house sit my sisters house for a week before I can go there- so I've got plenty for that stay! I'm really looking forward to having time out and learning new coping and well-being strategies whilst I'm there and I know it's going to be beneficial for me.

I'm trying to fit knitting in with organising removalists - moving day from the rental property is on Thurrsday- and then another move the following week to our new property when we get the keys on the 15th. Basically, it's going to be hectic and I'm going to really use my knitting to help keep me calm and relaxed.

Enjoy your knitting forumites🧶😎

Judi9877☺️🧶🌈🌻

[Former-Member]

Love the colour, it is so invigorating. @Judi9877  You have a very hectic time ahead of you. I do hope you can call on others to help out. Parcs sounds good. Nice to have some me time too after all the stress of moving. I am waiting to see if I can get an appt. to see someone about my brain aneurysm that I have just been diagnosed with. So glad that I have persevered not taking medication, don't know what effects it would have on this. Take care

[BlueBay]

Hi @Judi9877 

Your squares are looking amazing. Love the colours snd different patterns. How will you join the squares?